Eph. Pt. 6, A Prisoner’s Advice
A Prisoner Gives Spiritual Advice
to Christians
Ephesians Pt. 6
By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© August 16, 2015
If you were imprisoned for your faith and facing death, what words of advice would you give people in your home church?
Ephesians 4:1–3
A Prisoner Gives Spiritual Advice to Christians
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then…
Four Pieces of Sound, Spiritual Advice:
· Live a Life worthy of your calling:
“I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
· Have a Humble and Gentle Spirit:
2 “Be completely humble and gentle; (Attitude Check)
· Be Patient; In Love, Bear with One Another:
“be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Reaction Check)
· Diligently work toward Unity and Peace:
3 “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Relational Check)
Those who have been born into the Family of God should have the goal of Unity and Peace because we are all ONE in His Church.
In the following verses, Paul continues to explain why it is important that we have unity, understanding that in the Church Body there is huge and unique diversity.
Also in his explanation, in this passage Paul gives intriguing information, which helps explain other Spiritual areas that may be of interest to the Believer in Christ.
Topics that could cause us to get “Side-tracked”
Everyone can be “side-tracked” in an explanation, when we are clarifying more fully what happened in a particular event, or Scripture passage.
· We tell the “facts” as we know them.
· We bring up supporting details that clarify the “facts”.
· Sometimes we stop sharing what we originally intended and pivot in our conversation to another topic altogether totally different from our original point!
Have you ever walked into a room to get one thing…forgot what it was, and ended coming out with something else that caught our attention, altogether different from our original quest? The same thing can happen when an intriguing subject rises in the middle of our conversation to divert us to a totally different topic, mid-stream.
Intriguing Topics are included in these verses that could cause us to be “Side-tracked” from the primary focus of the passage…and Paul alludes to these other topics of interest to more fully explain the goal of being ONE in Unity and Peace in the Church.
Intriguing Topics in Ephesians 4:4-12
There are intriguing topics in this passage that could keep us from understanding the intent of the primary topic!
Remember the primary intent of this passage is a strong call for unity and peace in the church. Paul is going to emphasize the “need to be ONE” as a high priority, but while he is instructing us on being ONE, there are other subjects he raises…in support of his primary intention in this passage.
1. The Primary Intent of the passage:
A Call for Unity and Peace in the Church.
2. A New Testament Leadership Paradigm Shift:
This passage defines the occasion when God changed from the Old Testament priesthood leadership to a paradigm consistent with what He ordained for His New Testament Church.
· Prior to Jesus giving these New Testament “gifts” of leadership, the Jewish people in the Old Testament were led by God-anointed high priests or prophets (or by kings, when they rejected God’s order of leadership and wanted to be like the nations of the world).
· The Old Testament leadership of high priests and the sacrificial system was no longer needed.
· Jesus Christ offered Himself as a Sacrifice, once for all, in atonement for our sins (Heb. 9:24-28). And, Jesus became the High Priest forever after the Order of Melchizedek (Heb. 5:1-10).
3. New Testament Spiritual leadership clarified: The Gifting of Church leadership was needed now, after Christ’s full atonement, instead of Leadership performing sacrificial offerings.
· He gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers.
The “gifts” that Christ now ordained in the leadership of the Church were to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.
4. This passage also sheds a side-light on what happened to Jesus after He died on the Cross – before His Resurrection: The revelation of what happened to Christ’s Spirit, the three days when His Body was dead and in the tomb.
5. This passage also alludes to where the spirits of people went when they died: What happened to the spirits of those who died under the Old Testament Covenant?
· Where is “Sheol” or “Hades” (“the grave”, “the place of the departed dead” in Hebrew and Greek) and how does this relate to the how Jesus describes afterlife in the parable Jesus gave of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)? How does this relate to where the spirits of people went who died in the Old Testament?
· Were Old Testament (O.T.) saints “born again” as we understand it today? Why or why not? Where did the spirits of the O.T. “saints” go at death?
· Where do the spirits of believers and non-believers go today, at death? (Righteous in Christ: 2 Cor. 5:1-10, “Absent from the body, present with the Lord;” Rom. 8:23; 1 Cor. 15:54; Wicked and non-believers: Luke 16:23-25; Rev. 20:11-15; Matt. 25:41)
These other subjects can intrigue us so much, that we forget the original intent for Paul’s writing this passage – that Believers in Jesus Christ in His Church should have Unity and Peace under Christ, the Head of the Church!
Let’s dive in and see if we can touch most of these areas today, in this message.
First, let’s read the first major section of the Passage.
Ephesians 4:4-12
4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.”
8 This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men." 9 (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens in order to fill the whole universe […that he might fill all thingsESV].)
11 It was he who gave
· some to be apostles,
· some to be prophets,
· some to be evangelists,
· and some to be pastors and teachers,
12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.
This passage’s primary emphasis:
That Believers in Jesus Christ, in His Church should have Unity and Peace under Christ, the Head of the Church!
You Are Called to be One Body
· There are many bricks in one building. They are all constructed together for the purpose of the building.
· There are many diverse building materials in one home. They are all incorporated so the house can become a home.
· There are many nuts, bolts, rivets and pieces of metal and plastic in one car. They are all wielded and fused together so the car can transport us around.
· There are many parts to one body: a hand, eye, ear and foot, etc.; and, in like kind, there are many people with a huge diversity of gifts in the Body of Christ…called the Church, of which Christ is the Head…and we are all ONE in Christ.
Many Gifts – One Body
Ephesians 4:11-12 gives an outline of the new paradigm of leadership gifts for the Church. The companion passages in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, further reveals to us other unique and individual Spiritual Gifts identified in the Body of Christ. There are those who will say that we need to have the same Spiritual Gifts…but the intent of these passages is to reveal the great diversity of Gifts, motivationally and practically, so that each of us can exercise the Spiritual gifting which God has individually and uniquely given us, so the Body can function properly as a whole. These are both concluded with the emphasis on the extreme value of “love”, which should permeate the Body of Christ.
Romans 12:3–9
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Love
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
1 Corinthians 12:4–31
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
One Body, Many Parts
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts.
Love
And now I will show you the most excellent way.
1 Corinthians 13:13
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
· Paul gives us sound spiritual advice at the beginning of Ephesians 4
-
• To Live a Life worthy of your calling
-
• To Have a Humble and Gentle Spirit
-
• To Be Patient and Bear with One Another in Love
-
• To Diligently work toward Unity and Peace
· Paul lets us know that we are all critical parts to the One Body of Christ
Eph. 4:4
4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called
· Paul then gives us the time when Jesus poured out His gifts on the Church
-
•These gifts to His Church were given when Jesus Rose Again! At the ascension of His Spirit from the place of the departed dead, and His body from the tomb. “He Arose! Hallelujah, Christ Arose!”
· Paul also gives us some other information that we have not had until this verse: When Jesus rose He brought with Him those who had been “captive”.
Ephesians 4:7–8
God Gives a Gift of Grace to Each of His Children
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
8 This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.” [1]
Ephesians 4:8 is cited from Psalm 68:18…changing: “received” gifts, to “gave” gifts.
Psalm 68:18
18 When you ascended on high,
you led captives in your train;
you received gifts from men,
even from the rebellious—
that you, O Lord God, might dwell there. [2]
Psalm 47:5
5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.
There will be another day when God’s Children will be liberated from the groaning of the bondage of the curse in this world, and there will the sounding of the final Trumpet, which brings shouts of joy!
Romans 8:19, 21, 23
19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed…
21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God….
23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Matthew 24:31
31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
1 Corinthians 15:51–53
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
Look at Ps. 68:6 “He leads out the prisoners with singing”:
· I am sure when Moses led the Children of Israel out of the prison house of Egypt, that they came out rejoicing and singing.
· When Jesus Christ, at His Resurrection, led the “captives” out of their captivity from the place of the departed dead, they must have come out with shouts of joy and joyous singing, as well!
· When God’s Children hear the Trumpet of God and are caught up to be with Christ in the air, there will be great rejoicing!
The prophecy in Isaiah 61:1-2, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, reveals that Jesus is to proclaim freedom for the prisoners. Jesus did this at His Resurrection.
Luke 4:18
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
What happened to Jesus after He died on the Cross – before His Resurrection?
Ephesians 4:9
9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
What happened to the spirits of those who died under the Old Testament Covenant?
A Diagram of the spirits of those who died Pre-Cross – “Sheol” (the Grave)
And what happens to the spirits of we who die Post-Cross
While “in the place of the departed dead” Jesus preached to the spirits in prison (1 Peter 3:18-23) and upon His resurrection He led "captivity captive" (Eph. 4:8-10) and is the "firstfruits" of those who believe (1 Cor. 15:20).
Psalm 16:10 “Because you will not abandon me to the grave (sheol), nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”
1 Peter 3:18-23 18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water[3]....(see also 1 Peter 4:5-6 [1-6])
Ephesians 4:8-10 8 This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men." 9 (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens....)
Abraham’s Side, see the Parable Below
Jesus Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus revealed the place those went who died before the Cross. Before Jesus “led captives in His train”, at His resurrection.
Luke 16:19–31
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”
Where do the spirits of believers and non-believers go today, at death?
· The Righteous in Christ: 2 Cor. 5:1-10; Rom. 8:23; 1 Cor. 15:54…
“Absent from the body, present with the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 5:6–10
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Romans 8:23
23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
1 Corinthians 15:54
54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
· The Wicked and non-believers: Luke 16:23-25; Rev. 20:11-15; Matt. 25:41…
The interim destination of “the Rich Man” in Jesus’ parable
Luke 16:23–25
23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
Matthew 25:41
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Revelation 20:11–15
The Great White Throne Judgment
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
· One day there will be Resurrection for everyone!
1 Corinthians 15:51–52
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
Conclusion
Paul gives us sound spiritual advice at the beginning of Ephesians 4
-
• To Live a Life worthy of your calling
-
• To Have a Humble and Gentle Spirit
-
• To Be Patient and Bear with One Another in Love
-
• To Diligently work toward Unity and Peace
We are given the Primary Intent of the passage:
A Call for Unity and Peace in the Church
New Testament Spiritual Leadership is Clarified and given their purpose
Ephesians 4:12–13
12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
What is the Definition of Spiritual Maturity?
…Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
The Problem of Infancy
Ephesians 4:14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
The Product of Maturity
Ephesians 4:15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
[1] Gave, δίδωμι 1 to give. 2 to give something to someone. 2a of one’s own accord to give one something, to his advantage. 2a1 to bestow a gift. 2b to grant, give to one asking, let have. 2c to supply, furnish, necessary things. 2d to give over, deliver. 2d1 to reach out, extend, present. Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
[2] Received, לָקַח, 1 to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away. 1a (Qal). 1a1 to take, take in the hand. 1a2 to take and carry along. 1a3 to take from, take out of, take, carry away, take away. 1a4 to take to or for a person, procure, get, take possession of, select, choose, take in marriage, receive, accept. Ibid.
[3] 3:19 spirits in prison. There is much debate about the identity of these spirits. The Greek term pneuma (“spirit”), in either singular or plural, can mean either human spirits or angels, depending on the context (cf. Num. 16:22; 27:16; Acts 7:59; Heb. 12:23; etc.). Among the three most common interpretations, the first two fit best with the rest of Scripture and with historic orthodox Christian doctrine. These are:
(1) The first interpretation understands “spirits” (Gk. pneumasin, plural) as referring to the unsaved (human spirits) of Noah’s day. Christ, “in the spirit” (1 Pet. 3:18), proclaimed the gospel “in the days of Noah” (v. 20) through Noah. The unbelievers who heard Christ’s preaching “did not obey … in the days of Noah” (v. 20) and are now suffering judgment (they are “spirits in prison,” v. 19). Several reasons support this view: (a) Peter calls Noah a “herald of righteousness” (2 Pet. 2:5), where “herald” represents Greek kēryx, “preacher,” which corresponds to the noun kēryssō, “proclaim,” in 1 Pet. 3:19. (b) Peter says the “Spirit of Christ” was speaking through the OT prophets (1:11); thus Christ could have been speaking through Noah as an OT prophet. (c) The context indicates that Christ was preaching through Noah, who was in a persecuted minority, and God saved Noah, which is similar to the situation in Peter’s time: Christ is now preaching the gospel through Peter and his readers (v. 15) to a persecuted minority, and God will save them.
(2) In the second interpretation, the spirits are the fallen angels who were cast into hell to await the final judgment. Reasons supporting this view include: (a) Some interpreters say that the “sons of God” in Gen. 6:2–4 are angels (see note on Gen. 6:1–2) who sinned by cohabiting with human women “when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah” (1 Pet. 3:20). (b) Almost without exception in the NT, “spirits” (plural) refers to supernatural beings rather than people (e.g., Matt. 8:16; 10:1; Mark 1:27; 5:13; 6:7; Luke 4:36; 6:18; 7:21; 8:2; 10:20; 11:26; Acts 5:16; 8:7; 19:12, 13; 1 Tim. 4:1; 1 John 4:1; Rev. 16:13–14; cf. Heb. 1:7). (c) The word “prison” is not used elsewhere in Scripture as a place of punishment after death for human beings, while it is used for Satan (Rev. 20:7) and other fallen angels (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6). In this case the message that Christ proclaimed is almost certainly one of triumph, after having been “put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” (1 Pet. 3:18).
(3) In a third view, some have advocated the idea that Christ offered a second chance of salvation to those in hell. This interpretation, however, is in direct contradiction with other Scripture (cf. Luke 16:26; Heb. 9:27) and with the rest of 1 Peter and therefore must be rejected on biblical and theological grounds, leaving either of the first two views as the most likely interpretation. Notes from the ESV Study Bible
